Moving past passwords

There has been a lot of talk in recent years about moving past passwords as the prime logon authenticator, but it doesn't seem like much progress is being made. Here are the pros and cons, and how to do it:

Pros
Less password overhead (remembering and administering)
Eliminates common password-related attacks (brute-force, phishing, etc)
Users like it

Cons
Replacing passwords requires another system (like biometric, card reader, cell phone, etc) which aren't as widely available as keyboards
Nothing is as widely used and accepted as a password

How to Implement
There are essentially three categories of authentication: something you know (like a password), something you are (like a retina scan), and something you have (like a passcard). A secure and reliable logon system requires two of those three, to provide redundancy and multi-factor authentication.

If you plan your authentication systems and end-user equipment properly, you can easily augment a password with various authentication systems such as swipe cards, location authentication, fingerprints, token cards, facial scanners, or other methods. The cell phone is probably the biggest enabler since it can act as all of those and more. These additional methods can relegate the password to an occasional or backup method of authentication, speeding up access and improving security at the same time.